Tsuki's Journey
by Deiru Tamashi
Summary: Tsuki, the daughter of Inuyasha and Kaname Kururugi, travels the land and fights demons. But when an enemy long thought to be dead emerges once again, what catastophies will occur? Rated T just in case. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

**Tsuki's Journey**

Warning: If you have read my other fanfiction, know that this does _not_ follow the same story line. Thank you.

Chapter 1: The Calm Before The Storm

Tsuki stopped, tilting her head back to breathe deeply, detecting the salty scent of the sea on the air. "We're getting close. I can feel it," she said. Tsuki stood straight, her short black hair reaching her shoulders and cut in a manner reminiscent of her mother's. She wore a white kimono that reached her ankles, with patterns of white roses along the ends the bottom and sleeves. Her blue-gray eyes glanced at the sword at her hip, the Tetsuaiga, her dog ears pricked, and her white sandaled feet started forward. "Come on," she said to her two companions. "We're nearly at Shiyosai Village. Then we can fight the demon and get our payment."

Tsuki was part dog-demon, the daughter of Inuyasha and Kaname Kururugi. Around twenty years ago, her parents had fallen in love after living in Kaede's village after they- along with Kagome, Miroku, Shippo, her uncle Michiru and her aunt Sango- defeated Naraku. About a year later Inuyasha and Kaname married and began to live at the shrine in Kururugi Village. A short time later Kaname became pregnant and eight months later Tsuki was born. Inuyasha and Kaname had already known that since Inuyasha was the father she would have demon powers, but at the age of nine Kaname had been attacked by a few of the Hitogata that were still alive, and her Shikigami powers had awakened.

With her both her Shikigami and demonic powers, Tsuki was already exceedingly powerful, especially since when Michiru and Sango visited Sango would give her some physical training and Michiru would give her additional training with her Shikigami. However, as it turned out, while Kaname had been living in Kaede's village before Inuyasha had gotten together, she had become a priestess alongside Kaede. And whilst she had been training as a priestess, she had gained spiritual powers of her own, and these powers had in turn been passed down to Tsuki, which they had all discovered one day of training after her fifteenth birthday.

Now with four years of Shikigami, spiritual, physical _and_ demonic training, at age nineteen Tsuki was in fact probably one of the most powerful beings in all of Feudal Japan. Something that she was reminded of when one of her companions said "I really don't see what the big rush is, Tsuki. I mean, it's not as if the demon's attacking the village now, is it?" Tsuki let out a sigh and turned to face her companion, Kiti. Kiti was a full-blooded cat-demon, and it showed. Her long ebon hair was streaked with silver, but her features were young, proud, and- by human standards- beautiful.

Emerald green eyes gleamed in her face, which was all angles and planes, with a pair of large cat ears coming out of the top of her head. As usual she was dressed in a midnight blue kimono emblazoned with silver stars, with a hole cut out for her black and silver tail. Kiti was nice enough, but, like all cats, had an extreme sense of pride. She was quick and agile in battle, and wielded two very large and sharp knives.

Tsuki was snapped out her reverie again when she noticed Kiti was looking at her intentionally. Thinking back to her question she said "The demon may not be attacking now but that doesn't it won't in a little bit. And I for one would rather not have any more innocent villagers die, if you don't mind." Kiti responded to this with an elegant roll of her shoulders, indicating that she didn't care either way. Knowing that this was the best she would get, Tsuki sighed, turned back around and started forward. Within minutes the salty scent of the sea became obvious, and Shiyosai village appeared before them.

Her mother Kaname had once told her they had hired a boat from here to get to Asagiri Island, where had they fought Naraku. A little ways off Tsuki could indeed see a harbor, but if things went the way as planned they wouldn't need to hire one. While walking through the village Tsuki and Kiti both received many odd looks from the local fisherman, probably because of their ears. Before long they reached the house of the village's head fisherman. Upon seeing them the fisherman let out a relieved breath and started forward. "My friends, thank goodness you've arrived. Come in, come in!"

The fisherman, who introduced himself as Seto, led them into a small house and proceeded to place a kettle of tea over a fire. Then he turned to them and said, his face grave "Now that you're here, I'd best give you the details of the demon I've hired you to defeat." For the next hour, Tsuki and Kiti listened to the fisherman Seto explain. For the last few weeks the village had been the victims of almost nightly visits from a large sea monster-like demon. Also, whenever any fisherman would go out to work, none of them would ever come back. It had gotten to the point that the people of the village had began to beg Seto to come up with a solution.

It was then that Seto had heard word of a group consisting of powerful demons, friendly to humans, which traveled the land fighting demons for payment, regularly making stops in a village watched over by a priestess known as Kaede. Seto had sent a messenger to Kaede's Village, begging for help, and Tsuki and her group accepted. The demon appeared only at night, and brought with it a violent storm that rendered any attempts to attack it useless. Seto had just been about to continue from there when the curtain to the house was flung back and Tsuki's other traveling companion, Kaze stepped through.

Out of the entire group, Kaze had the most human appearance. Wild, windblown brown hair nearly covered his sky blue eyes, with a beak-ish nose and wearing a light sky green robe. He was a half-bird demon, and only looked human until he activated one of his special abilities, which was transforming his arms into wings. "Hey, Tsuki, Kitty-Kitty! What did I miss?" Kiti stiffened, severely irritated at being called "Kitty-Kitty" but Tsuki smiled. Kaze was a nice enough fellow, if a bit of a jokester. Despite the legendary hatred between cats and dogs, Tsuki and Kiti got along fine. However, with Kiti and Kaze, the hatred between cats and birds was in full swing, at least to the point Kaze made fun of Kiti and she responded with a vengeance.

When the three of them had been nearing Shiyosai Village, Tsuki had Kaze go on ahead to ask around the village for any extra information on the demon. "You didn't miss much, Kaze. Seto was just telling us the last details on the demon," Tsuki explained. Seto blinked, but quickly recovered himself and said "Ah yes. Well the last thing you might need to know is that the demon appears to have a special fondness for fish, even more than us humans. For this we've gathered a rather large number of fish that you can use as bait, if you so wish." Tsuki sailed wider and bowed her head.

"Thank you Seto. We really appreciate it." Kaze nodded in agreement, while Tsuki once again just shrugged her shoulders. "Well, we know that the demon isn't supposed to appear until later tonight, once it's dark. So why don't we take the day off until then?" Kaze proposed. "I think that's a great idea!" Tsuki said. "What do you think Kiti?" Kiti raised her head, looked and them both and said "Eh, sure. Why not?" Tsuki clapped her hands together. "It's decided then. The two of you can spend the day however you like, I'm going to the island to practice." The two agreed, and they began to go about their day.

Kiti and Kaze wandered through the village, looking for a possible bite to eat. Kiti personally would have been just fine hunting for food, but Kaze insisted they go out to eat. After a bit of searching they found one that served some nice shrimp, which they both agreed to eat at. When the waitress brought them their plates, Kiti eyes widened slightly at the sight of the sushi, and when they began eating she did so a little more reverently than usual. At this Kaze raised an eyebrow and said "Well, enjoying ourselves are we?"

Kiti responded to this by simply stopping to look up and glare at him; however the effect was slightly ruined by the piece of shrimp that was sticking halfway out of her mouth. She held his gaze for a moment before looking down at her food at resumed eating. The rest of the meal passed in silence, until the two of them finished, thanked the waitress and walked out. Without a real destination in mind, the two of them wandered around the village, talking about random subjects. That was until they got to the harbor, Kaze noticed the sound of fish splashing in the water, and came up with a devious idea.

"So Kiti, I've been curious, just what exactly _is_ your favorite kind of fish?" he asked innocently. Kiti looked at him and responded "Yellowtail. Why?" Kaze let out a small laugh, before saying "Oh, nothing." Kiti looked at him warily. "All right, what's your favorite kind?" Kaze let out a few more snickers before just evolving to chuckles. "What's so funny? Come on, tell me." He just continued to chuckle, but he managed to say "I can't… it's too funny!" Kiti looked at him irritably. "How is your favorite kind of fish funny?" Kaze suddenly stood up and raised his arms. There was a flash of green light, and when it faded rather than arms out of Kaze's shoulders grew a pair of huge brown-feathered wings.

At this Kiti asked "What are you changing into your flight form for?" Kaze let out one more chuckle before saying "Because… my favorite kind of fish… is _cat_fish!" With this declaration Kaze launched himself into the air and flew off, laughing hysterically. Kiti just stood there, perplexed, until the penny dropped. She hissed just like a real cat and yelled "Hey!" before taking off after him. "Get back here you!" Kaze continued to laugh, but he did stop to hover in the air, just out off Kiti's reach. "And what if do? If I come down there, you might beat me up." "You're darn right I will! Now get down here!" Kiti yelled.

"I won't do nothing if you don't say please." Kiti hissed that much more before finally saying "…Please." Kaze laughed even louder before saying "Ha! I said I wouldn't do _nothing_ if you _didn't_ say please! Ha ha haaaa!" Kiti yowled before starting after him, yelling "Get back here birdbrain! When I get a hold of you I'll tear your wings off, break them in half and turn the rest of you into a feather duster!" To this Kaze said nothing, just continued to fly, Kiti not far behind.

Tsuki sat down on the edge of the cliff, let her feet dangle from the side, and sighed in contentment. It had been a long time since she could relax like this. The breeze felt nice, cool and tinged with just the saltiest scent from the sea. In the lifestyle she had chosen, the life on a hunter who killed demons for hire, such moments rarely occurred. She had just finished a session and training, and was slightly out of breath. The breeze from the sea cooled her body down, and helped her relax.

Two years ago when she had turned seventeen Tsuki made one of rare, back then, trips outside of Kururugi Village, and saw a young brother and sister being attacked by a Hitogata. Despite the fact that he was terrified, the boy had tried to protect his sister, and was hurt by the Hitogata. At this point Tsuki could no longer just watch, using her own Shikigami to destroy the creature, before healing the boy and guiding the both of them to the village, where their mother was there, worried. Afterwards Tsuki realized that when she had come to help the children, when she had come to the rescue, she had felt _alive_. It was then that she realized her what was her calling. Saving others.

When she had made her decision a month later, and told her parents that she wanted to live this life, traveling the country and fighting demons, they took a lot of convincing. Inuyasha said that she needed to be stronger if she wanted to go on a journey that dangerous; Kaname had been against her ever doing it completely. It was only with the help of her uncle Michiru and her aunt Sango that she was able to convince them. Her mother still didn't want her to go, but eventually accepted it, along with Inuyasha. He had even given her the Tetsuaiga.

About a year into their marriage Kaname had, after much painstaking effort, created a necklace that would allow Inuyasha to control his true demon form. It was, to Inuyasha's displeasure, very much like the Beads of Subjugation, but they only worked when Inuyasha in full-demon form, and even possessed the same spell to hold back his demon blood as the Tetsuaiga. Tsuki had no knowledge of this until Inuyasha had bestowed her with the Tetsuaiga, and she had, to say the least, been blown away. However, she had come to accept it, both the necklace and the Tetsuaiga. Inuyasha said that he had inherited the Fang of Destruction from _his_ father, so it was only fait that she inherits it from him.

Now, after two years of traveling, she had complete mastery over the Tetsuaiga and its powers. Tsuki had no doubt that she could survive without it- she had more than enough power on her own- but honestly, to her it was more than just a weapon. Her father had it for a long time before he passed it on to her, and now she had wielded for a total of two years herself. Much like she remembered her aunt Sango was with her Hiraikotsu, the Tetsuaiga was almost like a part of her body now. One she could use to devastating effect.

Something she was reminded of when her Shikigami and spiritual senses detected a group of demons coming her way. Frowning, Tsuki let out a sigh before opening her eyes and standing up, just as the demons exploded out of the shrubbery and onto the cliff. There was a humanoid demon with a rat face and claws, a spider demon with a human head, and bird made solely of bones, with skeletal wings and empty eye sockets. The rat squeaked at her, the spider clipped its pincers, and the bird flapped its wings, before starting at her.

Tsuki quickly wondered whether to just kill the demons quickly and get back to relaxing, or to actually use this to test out a new spell she had been experimenting with. Deciding to go for the latter, Tsuki clasped her hands together and a pentagram spun beneath her feet. She called "Oh flaming burning bright within the overflowing blue sky, scald my enemies with your burning winds! Tornado of Fire!" Her Wind and Fire Shikigami both appeared over her head, before they combined together and formed and burning cyclone of white-hot flames. The deadly tornado stood still for a moment, before rushed forward toward the three demons at Tsuki's command.

The demons immediately skidded to a halt before trying to turn around and run away. The bird demon was too slow, and with a soundless cry was pulled into the vortex. The spider almost immediately was consumed too, but not before it tried to cover the tornado in web, which burnt to ash instantly. Last remained the rat demon, who instead of running, raised its arms and let out an extremely loud squeak before a purple ball of light appeared in its hands, which it threw at Tsuki. Surprised by this, Tsuki didn't try to dodge until it was too late, and was hit by it which exploded in a flash of purple light.

Immediately the tornado fire wobbled and burnt out. Tsuki clasped her hands back together and called "Tornado of Fire!" but nothing happened. Shocked and confused she called out "Oh flame burning bright, turn into a sword of wrath! Raging Flame!" She waited for her power to rise forth, take the form of her fire Shikigami, and burn the demon to a crisp, but again nothing happened. The rat demon jumped forward, claws extended. Tsuki jumped back and called upon her spiritual powers, but those too failed her. "_That rat sealed my powers_", she thought, realizing the obvious.

If the rat demon had sealed her powers, then all her Shikigami, spiritual, and demonic powers were useless. Not even the Tetsuaiga would be available to her. These things should have scared her, but for some reason, she found herself getting highly irritated. Enough to think, much like her father Inuyasha would, "_To hell with it; I'll just use my bare hands and kick his butt._" With this in mind she jumped forward, swinging leg up to connect right into the demon's stomach. With a pained squeak it doubled over, and Tsuki followed with an uppercut, smashing the demon's mouth shut and snapping its head back, arching its back. Last she jumped up and spun about, her foot connecting solidly with the side of its head.

With a weak squeal, the rat fell over, unconscious. Instantly Tsuki could feel her strength return, and without missing a beat called "Raging Flame!" The lion that was her Fire Shikigami rose forth and turned into a stream of flame, frying the demon to a crisp. Tsuki stood there for moment, trying to catch her breath. Her senses were still on high, adrenaline running through her, her blood pumping. Eventually though, her heart rate returned to normal, and she let out a deep breath. "Okay, now I'm definitely going to relax," she said aloud. Turning back around she walked to the edge of the cliff, and sat down, once again feeling the cool ocean breeze on her face. Closing her eyes, she tilted her back and began to relax.

Authors Note: I did not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. Please read and review, even if you hate it. I'd rather a thousand bad reviews than just 1.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything to do with it.

Chapter 2: A Battle Within A Storm

The sun was setting when Tsuki walked into Seto's - the head fisherman's- home only to find Kaze sitting off to the side, long scratch marks along his arms, and Kiti sitting next to the fire with a heavy blanket wrapped around her. Without even getting the details, Tsuki could pretty accurately guess what had happened. Kaze had pulled another prank on Kiti, and she had responded with a passion and a vengeance. Deciding to go on that and get further details, Tsuki stepped forward and asked "Okay, what happened?"

Kaze looked at her, then down at the floor rather guiltily. "Well… actually… I kind of… pulled a joke on Kiti." "I'm aware of that. Tell me what happened _exactly_," Tsuki replied, adding a little force to her voice. Kaze sighed before looking up. "All right, I'll tell you. Kiti and I were eating lunch, and then we were walking through the village when I… told her my favorite seafood was… catfish." Tsuki arched her eyebrows in surprised shock, but motioned for Kaze to continue. "Well, to say the least, that didn't make her happy." Kiti snorted at this. "And after I teased her a bit more, she stated chasing after me, and I was flying off, out of her reach. She followed me onto the docks, and she must have been so focused on me she didn't see she was nearing the edge of the pier. She ran off… and…"

"And I fell into freaking _water_!" Kiti finished for him. Tsuki winced. Kiti, much like a real cat, hated getting wet. Tsuki took a closer look at her. Her long hair was indeed wet, and from what she could see of her kimono, it was too. Her ears were resting flat against her head, and she shivered even though she was wearing a blanket. "All right, I see. Kaze, I think you owe Tsuki an apology." Kaze looked at Tsuki. "Me? She's the one didn't see the water-" He stopped when Tsuki leveled a glare at him, one capable of stunning a demon from a mile away, and one that held much of the anger her father used to display.

Kaze sighed again, this time in defeat, before turning to Kiti and said "Okay, Kiti, I'm sorry I made fun of you." Kiti looked back at him for a moment before nodding and turning back toward the fire. Tsuki nodded; now that that matter was done, they could move on to more important things. "All right guys, now let's get back to business. Namely, the demon that supposed to attack tonight." The two of them straightened at this and turned to face her as she sat down. Now, we know that when the demon shows up, it brings a large storm with it. This'll make it harder to fight it, but not impossible. Also, according to Seto, the demon has a strong preference for fish, which the village gathered for bait.

"So, how should we go about this?" Tsuki asked. The three of them sat there for a moment, before a plan began to form in Kiti's mind. "Well, how about this? We use the fish to lure the demon into a trap, and then we come at it from all sides so it won't be able to attack us all at once. We use our most… _dramatic_… attacks to confuse it, and while it's trying to figure things out we attack and finish it off!" Tsuki thought about this for a second, then slowly began to nod. "Actually, that sounds like a great idea. What do you think Kaze?"

Kaze looked at her, at Kiti, and then shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I haven't got any better ideas. Let's give it a shot." "Great! Nice job Kiti," Tsuki complemented. Kiti smiled, pleased with herself. "All right, let's get things ready."

xxx

_I hope this goes as planned,_ Kaze thought. The three of them had taken the barge full of fish and rode it to Asagiri Island, away from the village. After they had set the bait on a particularly open expanse of beach, the three of them had taken up positions around the edge of the sand, just far enough into the trees that they couldn't be easily seen. When the demon appeared Tsuki would use her Wind Shikigami to send a gust of the fish's scent to it and draw the demon in. Then the next step of the plan would begin. But until then, all they could do was watch and wait.

And so that's what the three of them did, for almost an entire hour. Occasionally, Kaze would glance at where he knew Tsuki was hiding, and Kiti's spot too. Nothing really got his attention. There wasn't even the slightest change in the breeze, not a break in the waves, nothing. After a while, his legs started to fall asleep, and Kaze did too. Eventually he fell asleep, right there on feet.

He dreamed he was in the sky, flying through the clouds. It felt great, the wind whipping through his hair, gliding under his wings, the sun on his back and the clouds all about him. There was no better to feel to him, especially since he was half bird-demon. He just flew, soaring through the sky, but eventually the dream began to change. The skies began to darken, the clouds rumbled ominously, and suddenly there was a flash of light, accompanied by a loud roar, one that left his ears ringing. The wind suddenly changed and picked up speed, blowing up from under him and sending him flying upwards into the air.

He continued to shoot upwards, up, up, and up, like a cork out of a bottle. He continued to rise, until there was another flash of lightning, and suddenly he woke up from the dream. For a second he forgot where he was, until he remembered. He was on Asagiri Island, with Kiti and Tsuki, awaiting a giant sea demon that they were going to lure into a trap. He repeated these things to himself, again and again, saying it five times in total. Just as he finish thinking it the fifth time, they was a disturbance in the air. The smell of the sea faded, and was replaced with the scent of seaweed, along with the stench of blood. And rotting flesh.

These three scents all combined into one sickening miasma, one that caught in Kaze's throat and nostrils and caused him to gag. The waves off the edge of the beach trembled, then suddenly a fin, easily seven feet in length, broke the surface. _Now's her cue_, Kaze thought. He looked over to where Tsuki was hiding and managed to see her clasped her hands together and chant something he couldn't hear. Her Wind Shikigami appeared, before dispersing into a gust of wind; one that blew over the barge full of fish, and carried the scent of it to where the fin was.

The effect was instantaneous. The fin veered sharply in the direction of the smell and began to glide toward it, the waves turning to froth on the sides of it. Kaze gripped his spear, getting ready. The waves began to tremble again as they reached the shore, and a giant shark head broke the water. The smell intensified, and bile rose up it Kaze's throat. He swallowed, with difficulty, and a tentacle rose out of the water, wrapping around a pile of fish and pushing it toward the awaiting shark's mouth. Kaze momentarily forgot about the smell.

_A shark/squid demon?_ Kaze thought. He had seen some interesting things in his young life, but this was probably one of the strangest. That was, until the creature raised the rest of itself out of the water. In total it did have a giant shark's head, but out of its side grew a pair of tentacles, and halfway down the shark body ended and was replace with the bright orange shell of a crab, and the whole demon stood on a total of six crab legs. _Yep, definitely the strangest_, Kaze thought to himself.

The demon moved forward on its legs, until it reached the edge of the barge, tipped it over and began eating heartily. The smell of blood intensified, and Kaze gripped his spear even harder. _Just a bit longer. Wait for the signal_. It turns out he didn't have to wait much longer, because about a minute later he heard Tsuki call "Oh brightly shining light, shine your rays upon our enemies! Flare of Light!" Her Light Shikigami, a dragon, appeared before turning into a blinding flash of light. Kaze closed his eyes to avoid being blinded, and heard Tsuki yell "NOW!"

The light faded, Kaze opened his eyes, and rushed forward. He saw Kiti do the same, twin knives in her hands, and the Tetsuaiga in Tsuki's. The demon stood unsteady, dazed by the flash, and Kaze called upon his powers of the wind. A small tornado formed around the demon, picking up huge amounts of sand, and Kaze willed it to fly into the demon's eyes. The demon let out a roar that shouldn't come from a shark's throat and Kaze felt a demonic aura suddenly appear. The sky overhead rumbled, thunder cracked, and a sudden deluge of rain fell on them. Kaze heard Kiti cry out in annoyance, but he watched as the demon lifted its eyes upwards, and the rain washed the sand out of its eyes.

Tsuki called "Oh overflowing blue sky, expel our enemies from our presence. Blue Sky Expulsion!" Her Wind Shikigami appeared before turning into a tornado much larger than the one Kaze conjured. The twister enveloped the demon, slowing lifting it off the ground. The demon screeched as it was spun about; then it was thrown into the shallow parts of the water. As it attempted to stand Tsuki called "Oh silent freezing ice, envelop these demons in your frozen grasp! Flash-Freezing Ice!" Her Ice Shikigami, a silver wolf, appeared. The wolf howled before jumping onto the water.

From where it landed sheen of ice appeared. The ice spread outwards and solidified, until in a matter of seconds the demon's legs were encased in a giant block of ice. The demon screeched, this time in surprise, and looked down at its frozen legs. Kaze raised his spear and charged forward, going for the kill. That was, until it roared in rage and smashed both of its tentacles down on the ice block. The demon aura intensified, the storm pickup, and the ice shattered. Kaze screeched to a halt. The demon shook its legs to get the feeling back in them, then looked at Kaze, rage in its fishy eyes. One of its tentacles shot forward. Kaze tried to dodge but the tentacle was too fast, wrapping itself around him, the suckers biting in deep, and lifted him off the ground.

xxx

For Kiti, today had already been a bad enough day. She had been insulted by Kaze, chased off a pier, fallen into freezing cold water, gotten soaked _again_ by shark-squid-crab-whatever demon, and now it looked like she had to save Kaze's stupid, feathery behind from that same demon. If it weren't for the fact that Kaze was Tsuki's friend, she'd have half a mind to turn and walk away.

However, he _was_ Tsuki's friend; and any friend of Tsuki's was a friend of hers. After Tsuki had saved her life from a tribe of ogre demons, Kiti had asked to join Tsuki on her journey. Tsuki had saved her life and, like all cats, Kiti had felt she had a debt to pay for that. And Kiti always paid her debts. _So I guess I have to save his hide after all_, Kiti thought. With this in mind, Kiti stated forward, her senses turned to full alert. She saw the demon turn to see her running toward her and heard the air rush as the other tentacle moved towards her.

Without missing a beat, she jumped to the side and continued running, giving the tentacle a long cut on the side for good measure. The demon screeched in surprised pain, and the shark head leaned forward, taking a snap at her. Kiti jumped up and landed on the demons snout before spinning around and plunging one of her knives into its right eye. The demon screeched in pain, its head jerking back and causing her to jump off while its tentacle flailed, including the one Kaze was holding. When it stopped his face looked to be the same shade of green as his robe.

Kiti landing lightly and the ground, her knees bent to absorb the impact. "Tsuki!" she called. "I've got Kaze! I need you distract the thing!" "Got it!" she called back. Tsuki sheathed her Tetsuaiga and called "Oh crackling yellow lightning, rain down your fury! Lightning Bolt!" Her Lightning Shikigami, a golden tiger, appeared before turning into a bolt of energy that shot towards the demon. As focused as it was on Tsuki, it didn't see it coming. It did however, feel it when the bolt hit on the fin on its back. The demon jerked violently before slumping to the ground.

When it fell, its tentacles crashed to the ground, including the one holding Kaze. Kiti rushed forward to where Kaze was lying. "Kaze, are you okay?" she asked. Kaze groaned and said "Oh, I'm feeling just _great_," before his eye rolled back into his head and he slumped into the tentacle. She kneeled down and grabbed the end of the tentacle wrapped around him and pulled. It wouldn't move. Kiti pulled again, this time harder. "It… won't budge!" she said through gritted teeth. Even though it was dazed it still had a firm grip on Kaze. Suddenly the tentacles grip on Kaze tightened, Kiti looked to her left and saw the demon was getting back up.

Realizing that as just pulling Kaze out wasn't going to work, Kiti jumped up, about to stab the other demon's eye, but it anticipated the move this time around. Just as Kiti jumped its other tentacle shot forward, slamming into her side. She slammed into the ground, but before she could get back up she felt a tentacle wrap around her. The last thing she thought was "_Oh crap,_" before she was hoisted into the air too.

xxx

Tsuki watched Kiti be lifted, with an exclamation of fear, anger and annoyance, into the air. With both Kiti and Kaze trapped she was the only one left to destroy the demon. Something that Kaze was sure to mention later to tease Kiti. Internally, she sighed. _Honestly, if he wasn't such a good fighter and friend, I might actually take leaf from my father's book and whack him over the head_, she thought. Deciding that she might just later, Tsuki looked forward to where the demon stood, holding her two friends captive. The demon looked at her, narrowed its fishy eyes and began to charge forward.

Quickly Tsuki went over her list of possible options. She couldn't use the Wind Scar, because while it would destroy the demon it might also hurt Kiti and Kaze. The same applied to her spiritual powers, and a handful of her more destructive Shikigami spells. The only spells available would only hold it of temporarily, but none of them would defeat it. That meant that unless she could free Kiti and Kaze, there was no way she could win.

With this in mind, Kiti once again drew the Tetsuaiga, moved into a battle stance, and stood her ground. Its tentacles preoccupied, the shark head snapped forward, several rows of sharp teeth glinting. Just before it ran over her she ran to the side and around it. Gripping the handle tight, Tsuki plunged the Fang of Destruction into the front of the demon left legs. It cried out, and Tsuki heaved and pulled the sword out of the side, leaving the leg nearly cut in half. Instantly the demon buckled slightly and stopped its charge. Without giving it chance to recover, Tsuki repeated the process on the second of the demons legs, and again on the third. On the third she twisted the blade in place, wrapping a small amount of flesh around the blade, and when she pulled the lower half the leg was torn off completely.

Without adequate support from its left side, the demon crashed to ground. Jumping lightly onto its shell, Tsuki raised her left hand and called "Lightning Bolt!" Her Lightning Shikigami appeared once again before shooting another bolt at down on the crab. It writhed before slumping forward, unconscious from the blast being at much closer range. Jumping to the right, she said "Oh flame burning bright, infusing my weapon with your fiery strength! Burning Blade!" Her Tetsuaiga caught fire, red and orange flames burning along its length. Flipping the sword over in her hands, she plunged the sword into the tentacle holding Kaze. The tentacle around the sword caught fire as well.

The tentacle flailed wildly, but eventually that part of the around the wound burned through, leaving a burnt stump and a separate end that was holding Kaze. Tsuki rushed forward, planting the Tetsuaiga in the ground, grabbed the tentacle and pulled. Without the demon to keep the grip firm, Tsuki freed Kaze easily. Lifting his unconscious form into her arms, she rushed to the side and laid him on the ground. It looked he had a few broken ribs and nasty bruise to the head. She went back to grab the Tetsuaiga and turn to help Kiti. She was halfway there when the demon awoke, rising upwards only to buckle again because of its injured legs.

The demon was about to try to catch her with its tentacle but when it entered its vision in saw that all that was left was a burnt stump. The flames had burned it so thoroughly that the nerve endings had died, and while the demon felt no pain, it did roar in rage her look at her with its one good eye. It suddenly threw Kiti to the ground, the demonic aura intensified and it slammed its tentacle into the ground. A fissure appeared in the ground before widening and spreading towards Tsuki. She jumped the side, but the fissure changed course and flowed her. The demon charged at her, and turned to outrun the hole in the ground following her.

But the demon cut her off and snapped its teeth at her. She stopped and looked back at the fissure racing towards her. She had come up with something, fast. Then she looked forward and saw a small space between the bottom of the demon's shell and the ground and got an idea. She ran forward, leading the fissure straight toward the demon. It was so surprised it didn't do anything, and Tsuki ran straight under and behind it. The demon spun around with difficulty and turned to look at her, only to find her standing there with a small on her face. The demon was confused, it somehow showing on its shark face, until the fissure followed under it as well, opening the ground beneath its feet.

Now that the fissure had ensnared a victim, it closed slightly, just enough that the demon was unable to move. It cried out in anger and surprise, while Tsuki raised the Tetsuaiga and called, "Now it's over! Take this!" She slammed it into the ground and called "Wind Scar!" Mammoth beams of pure destruction raced on the ground toward the demon. It managed one more cry before the Wind Scar it, its power pulverizing the demon until it disintegrated completely.

Tsuki stood there for a moment, before sheathing the Tetsuaiga and turning to run to where the demon and thrown Kiti down. She kneeled on the ground and shook Kiti's shoulders. "Kiti, are you all right? Are you okay? Wake up!" she said. Kiti groaned and cracked one eye open. "Thank goodness, are feeling okay?" Tsuki asked her. She replied "I'm all right, just a few scrapes; that's all." She attempted to lift herself up, but when she did she cried out in pain and fell back down, clutching her right arm. "Or maybe not," she decided. "What? What's wrong?" Tsuki asked. "My arm. I think it's broken," she replied.

"All right, I'll help you up." Tsuki wrapped her right arm around Kiti's shoulders, and she did the same with her left. Slowly, they began to walk back to the boat the left on the beach a little ways off, and Tsuki sat her down in it. She then went back to get Kaze, and carried him back to the boat. She laid him in, then pushed the boat off shore and scrambled into it. Tsuki grabbed the oars and began to row. "I'm sorry I can't help you with that," Kiti said, gesturing to the oars. "It's all right," Tsuki assured her. "Just relax, and when we get back to Shiyosai Village we can rest there until you and Kaze have healed up. " Kiti snorted and said "Yeah, and get our payment from Seto while we're at it. After having us fight a demon as tough as that, he better be ready to pay up."

And for once, Tsuki do nothing but agree.

xxx

I hope this chapter lives up to the expectations of the people who read it. Please read and review!


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything to do with it.

Chapter 3: Reminiscing the Past

When the trio of Tsuki, Kiti and Kaze made their back to Shiyosai Village from Asagiri Island Tsuki docked the boat, helped Kiti out, picked up Kaze and hefted him over her shoulder. Slowly they made their way back to Seto's home. As they neared it his face lit up with surprise in delight. "Ha-ha, so you managed to defeat the demon!" He came toward them, but then noticed how Tsuki was carrying Kaze and how Kiti was holding her arm. He frowned. "My friends, what happened to you?"

Kiti glared at him. "What happened? Kaze got knocked out by that demon, and it also managed to break my arm! _That's_ what happened!" Seto took a step back from the force of these words, but Tsuki turned to look at Kiti. "Kiti, I understand you're hurt, but that's no reason to take your frustration out on Seto," she said sternly. Kiti looked at her, bristling at this, but eventually her ears drooped, her head lowered and she mumbled "Sorry," at Seto. Tsuki sighed tiredly, and turned to Seto. "I apologize for that. Is there a place we can stay for a while; at least until we've healed enough for traveling?"

Seto thought about this for a moment, before slowly shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but there aren't any inns here in the village; the closest one nearby is in Minamo Village." Tsuki sighed at this. Neither Kiti nor Kaze were in any condition to be traveling, yet if they wanted somewhere to stay and recover they were going to have to do just that. But then Seto said "However, a number of us fisherman were going to make a delivery to there tomorrow. You can stay at my home tonight, and go with them tomorrow." Tsuki looked up at this. "Really? Thank you so much!" she said happily.

"It's not a problem. You ridded us of that fearsome demon after all. This is the least I can do." He smiled for a moment before he said "Oh! That's right!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small sack. The jingling sound of coins could be heard from within it. He handed the bag to them. "This is how much I owe you for the job. Thank you so much." Tsuki smiled widely. "You're welcome, and thank you too." She put the bag in her pocket, turned to look at Kiti and said "Come on. Let's go inside." Kiti nodded, and the two of them walked into Seto's home.

The house was a little larger than normal homes, with a guest room set to the side. Tsuki slid it open with her free hand, the supporting Kaze, and walked in. There was pair of beds on the floor, and a folding screen set to the side. Tsuki laid Kaze down and the first bed, and motioned for Kiti to lay on the other. She shook her head. "You go ahead. I can sleep on the floor." Tsuki shook her own head firmly. "No, you're the one with a broken arm; you sleep on the bed." Kiti was about to protest that she didn't need a bed when she saw that Tsuki wasn't taking "no" for an answer, and groaned. "Fine, you win."

Tsuki smiled as Kiti went to carefully lay herself down without using her broken arm. As kind as she sometimes was, Kiti also was extremely proud, and would never just ask for help. Sometimes she reminded Tsuki of her father, even though Inuyasha was a half-dog demon and Kiti was a full-blooded cat demon. Smiling to herself, she lied down on the floor with her arms behind her head and set the Tetsuaiga beside her. It was getting late, and they should get some sleep before they went to Minamo Village tomorrow. "Goodnight Tsuki," she heard Kiti say. "Goodnight Kiti," was all she said before she fell asleep.

xxx

The next morning Tsuki awoke from a nice, dreamless sleep. She stretched her arms and legs and sighed happily. From the looks of things, it was till early in the morning. She turned her head to side to see that Kiti was still asleep, her tail wrapped around her… and Kaze was gone. Instantly she snapped to full alert, standing up, grabbing the Tetsuaiga and sending her spiritual and Shikigami senses outwards. She could detect no unusual auras in the area, nor could she smell any strange scents on the air. She slowly slid the door of the guest room open and quietly walked outside.

She walked around the village for a bit, looking for anything unusual, until she saw Kaze sitting at the end of the docks, his feet dangling over the edge. She groaned in annoyance, relaxed, and walked forward. As she neared him, he looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. "Good morning Tsuki. How are you?" he asked. "I'm fine, but you should still be in bed," she replied. He waved her concern away. "Relax, I'm fine." "No, you're not. When that you the ground you hit your head so hard you fell _unconscious_. You need to be resting, so that you can get better and not actually have as few brain cells as Kiti says you do."

Kaze's lifted an eyebrow at this. "Really? And just how many brain cells does Kiti say I have?" he asked. Kiti rolled her eyes and said "That's not the point! You need to be resting." Kaze rolled his eyes as well and said "I'm fine enough to walk, and I can rest when we get to Minamo Village. Just cool down." Kiti realized that as of then getting Kaze to rest was going to be impossible, so she surrendered with a growl of annoyance. She stood there for a moment before deciding to change the subject and ask "So why are you sitting out here anyway? I understand you wanted to be outside, but why choose the docks?"

He looked surprised for a moment before answering "The wind. I like the way the cool air blows in from the sea." Tsuki nodded. She walked forward and sat down next to Kaze. "I like it too. It feels nice." Kaze nodded in agreement. The two of them sat there, enjoying the silence and the feeling of the breeze, until Kaze asked "Hey, Tsuki?" She nodded to let him know she was listening, and he said "You remember how I joined you guys? So I could find that demon?" Tsuki opened her eyes and nodded again.

When Tsuki and Kiti were traveling in the northern mountains they had encountered what had appeared to be the ruined remains of a village. People were picking up debris and rebuilding houses, and as they passed one house they saw Kaze helping with the damage control. He was sweeping the front of a house when he glanced over to see that none of the villagers were watching, and called upon a small gust of wind to clear all the small bits of debris. After he did that he noticed them watching, they all looked at each other came to a silent agreement.

They wouldn't tell anyone of Kaze's abilities, and he wouldn't tell anyone they were demons. Tsuki and Kiti left shortly afterwards, but a few days later they heard that that same village had been attacked again. They arrived to see that everyone of the village had been slaughtered except Kaze, who had survived but with serious injuries. The two of them had tended to his injuries, and he traveled with them ever since.

As Tsuki finished replaying all of this in her head Kaze said "I never told you guys who attacked the village, or why I was left alive, did I?" Tsuki shook her head. Kaze was silent for a bit, and then he started to speak. "My mother was a bird-demon, and my father was a human. She lived in our village in secret, never showing her powers or letting me show mine. If the villagers ever found out they would chase her, me and my father out of the village." He paused for a moment before continuing. "My mother lived in a tribe of bird demons that hated humans, but she still fell in love with one. She left the tribe so she could come live with us.

"But her mother, the tribe leader, hated humans with a passion. She came to my mother just a month after I was born and demanded that she return. She refused, and her mother vowed that one day she would come to regret abandoning her family for a human. Sixteen years later the tribe as a whole summoned an evil demon from the very depths of Hell. The demon was known as Ryuketsu, the Demon of Bloodshed. The entire tribe attacked the village and declared that if my mother did not leave then they would return, with Ryuketsu in tow. None of us believed that the tribe could control a demon as powerful as him, and refused."

Kaze shook his head. "What fools we were. The tribe did in fact appear again, and released Ryuketsu from his chains. We were right, the tribe couldn't control him, and he slaughtered them all instantly. But he was, _is_, the Demon of Bloodshed, and he wanted to kill more in order for that to occur. He killed everyone of the villagers, including my mother and my father. But he didn't kill me. He said that he wanted me to remember what happened that night, so I could remember for others to kind of power he possessed."

Kaze was silent for a moment, and this gave Tsuki a moment to process all of this. Then Kaze finished "I swore that I would get revenge for my village for what Ryuketsu. And that's why I started to travel with you guys." Tsuki didn't say anything for a moment, simply because she didn't know what to say. Eventually she leaned forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. He smiled at the gesture, but shrugged it off. "I… just have one thing to ask. You're telling me this… why?" Tsuki asked. Kaze shrugged. "I never told you before, and you deserved to know. Plus, you and Kiti saved my life last night… again. I felt like I owed you something."

Tsuki suddenly stood, and pulled Kaze up along with her. She put her hands and his shoulders and looked at her. "Look. We're friends. You, me, and Kiti all look out for each other; we're a family. Family doesn't owe anything to each other," she said firmly. Kaze looked surprised for a moment, before his expression changed to a huge smile. "Thanks; I appreciate that." "It's no problem," Tsuki replied. Her ears suddenly pricked, and after a moment Kaze could hear it too. There was the sound of people shouting and starting to walk about. People were starting to wake up.

"We'd better get going. We need to wake up Kiti if we're going to go with that delivery to Minamo Village," Tsuki said. Kaze nodded in agreement, but as he tried to take a step forward he swayed, and nearly would have fallen if Tsuki hadn't caught him. She looked at him reprimandingly and said "I _said_ you weren't well enough, didn't I?" Without waiting for an answer, she slung his arm over her shoulder and started forward. "Come on. Let's go." Kaze didn't say anything, just rolled his eyes. Sometimes, Tsuki could be just as stubborn as the rest of them.

xxx

Kiti adjusted her seat on top of the barrel, and winced in pain as her arm moved. The three of them were sitting in the back of a wagon along with a few boxes and barrels of fish and a couple other fishermen. The three of them received a few curious looks at them, but otherwise the fishermen didn't say anything. Kiti couldn't blame them; the three were demons after all, humans were bound to keep their distance. Not that she cared, she didn't need their company. She had Tsuki and Kaze, and cats were solitary creatures anyway.

She adjusted her seat again, and hissed as her arm hurt, this time more painfully. Tsuki turned to look at her and asked "Are you alright Kiti?" Kiti nodded in conformation. "Don't worry, I'm fine." Tsuki didn't look entirely convinced, but nodded and turned to look at the scenery they were passing by. It was a rather hot day, and apparently the demons had decided that they would actually stay the day in whatever caves they existed in. Which left their trip to Minamo Village completely without any attacks, much to their and the fishermen's enjoyment.

The trip passed in rather quickly, with the three of them conversing with one another and their fisherman amongst themselves. Soon the grass around the wagon passed over grew denser and greener, with red flowers showing up along the side of the roads. The sound of a running river filled their ears, and all them turned their heads to see the small town that was Minamo Village spread out before them. The river ran under a small bridge, and beyond it were a small number of houses and an inn.

The wagon stopped on the edge of the village and the fisherman started to get off and unload the boxes. "Finally, we've made it," Kaze said, stretching his arms and legs. Tsuki nodded in agreement, and jumped off the wagon, turning back around to help Kaze off. Kiti stood and jumped off herself, her legs bent to absorb the impact. "Come on, let's get that room in an inn we had planned to back in Shiyosai Village," she said. "I'm with you on that one," Kaze said. "Agreed," Tsuki seconded. The three of them made their way through the village, which wasn't a long walk, and when they reached the inn they asked for a room.

"But of course. Honey, we have guests. Can you get a room ready for them?" the inn runner called. A female voice answered back "Just one room? That's preposterous! The women and man will sleep separately." "_That's_ preposterous. They'd be miserable if we kept them from each other!" he called "Honestly, you can be so hopeless sometimes." He walked off, but not before saying "You can stay in the large room in the back, that one's ready." Tsuki looked at her and said "They don't get along very well, do they?" Kiti merely shrugged and started forward. It wasn't her place to judge human relationships, she wasn't a very socially person to begin with.

She was just about to enter the room when she realized that there was wiring about the entrance. It said "Sango's room". "Hey Tsuki, isn't Sango the Demon Slayer that your uncle Michiru married?" she asked. Tsuki looked up and saw the writing as well. "Ha, would you look at that. Yeah, she's my aunt. She taught me almost everything I know about physical combat." The three of them made their way into the room, and Tsuki helped Kaze sit down. "I never quite heard the story about that; Michiru and Sango that is. Can you remind how the two of them got together?" Kaze asked.

Kiti raised an eyebrow, but otherwise said nothing; she was interested in the story too. From what she knew of Michiru and Sango, along with the few times she met them, the two of them were almost complete opposites. Michiru was someone from another time and possessed the magical powers of the Shikigami, and Sango was a Demon Slayer who relied on physical strength. As far as Kiti knew, the two of them had almost nothing in common. As these thoughts ran through her head she found herself asking "Yeah, how did the two of them get married?"

Tsuki rolled her eyes and sat down. "All right, I'll tell you the story." She sat for a moment, took a deep breath, and began. "To be honest, it all actually started here, in this village. My uncle had been developing feelings for Sango for a while, ever since he first met her really. But it was in this village that he finally realized them. He found her by the edge of the village and confessed his feeling for her, since Sango said that she liked him." Tsuki's expression darkened. "At least, that's what he thought he was doing. It turns out that the being he thought was Sango was really a demon in disguise named Mahoro."

Kiti gasped slightly at that. To confess something; like that only to realize it was a demon… it must have hurt. Tsuki continued "Luckily, Miroku was nearby and stepped in. If he hadn't, Michiru would have probably died. Afterwards he ran from the group to Botan Village, where he met Kikyo. After he met and talked with her, my uncle stopped trying to fight his feelings and let them be. But then, when they defeated Naraku the first time and Michiru was sent back to his own time, he confessed his feeling for real, just before he disappeared.

"Soon though, he and Kaname found a way back by using pendants were charged with spiritual powers and the power of the Shikigami. They returned back to this time, and not long after Naraku appeared again." Kiti hissed in distaste at this. "They continued out on their journey again, this time determined to destroy him for good. About a year later they succeeded, with Michiru and Inuyasha combining the Shikigami and the Backlash Wave along with Kagome's arrow. The group of them watched as Naraku literally burnt to ash in front of them.

"Afterwards the group settled down in Kaede's Village, because there was no trace of Kagura, Kanna, or any fragment of Naraku anywhere. They even obtained all the Shikon Jewel shards he had. The Jewel was made whole again, and Kagome took charge of guarding it. My uncle Michiru lived there for a while as well, but eventually the he and Sango got together, and a few months later married." Tsuki smiled. "And they've been together ever since." Kiti made a small "awwww" sound. "That's so sweet," she said.

Tsuki smiled, satisfied with herself. "That's the story, since you asked." She glanced out the wind and saw that the sun was going down. Her eyes widened. "Whoa! IT's that late already?!" "Well what do you expect? It _was_ a good story," Kaze said. Tsuki blushed slightly. "Come on, I'm not that good a story teller." To this Kiti said nothing, but rolled her eyes, smiling. Tsuki always had to modest about herself. "Well, it's getting late. Let's get to bed," Kiti said. The other two nodded in agreement, and soon they settled down to bed. As she drifted off to sleep, Tsuki thought "_it looks like we spent our day of healing thinking about the past._" She smiled. "_Then again, the past is where we can find comfort. I guess this was nice day after all._"

Sorry about the lateness of this update. I recently encountered a small landslide of homework, and that took up all my computer time. However, I finally finished, and I hope you enjoy the fruits of my endeavors. Please read, review, and enjoy!


	4. Chapter 4

Hello, this is Deiru Tamashi, the Soul of the Valley and the illustrious author of this story. I have been working on my other story, _Romance of the Damned_, as a way to resolve the writer's block I have with this story. However, I am, truly, stumped on any new ideas for this! So if you have any ideas for a new chapter, please let me know. Help a fellow author out here.

Thank you!


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